


They made you so much like me

by Deviant_Nurse



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor & North (Detroit: Become Human) Friendship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love at First Sight, M/M, Memory Alteration, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Nines, Protective Parent Hank Anderson, RK1700 - Freeform, RK900 as Nines, Sort Of, Soulmates, interfacing, much like IRL soulmate, not as in soulmate AU, so much fluff it's embarrassing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-07-28 04:55:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20058355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deviant_Nurse/pseuds/Deviant_Nurse
Summary: A few days after the Android uprising in Detroit, Connor met his successor in a place he already knows far too well.There was something he couldn’t quiet grasp about Nines, something he wanted to understand. A magnetic, addictive feeling taking over him, spreading deep and fast in his programming. Changing everything.It feels strangely familiar. It feels like fate.





	1. I just met you

They were never meant to meet. Being here in this room, facing _him_ like he was watching himself in a mirror… it felt so wrong. He was supposed to be dead. Deactivated. That’s the first thing that crossed Connor’s mind when he saw _him_. They planned to deactivate him from the very beginning, that’s what he realized in that moment. He could see the bigger picture now: he was never meant to be more than a single-use tool for them, he never had a chance to prove himself to Amanda as they led him to believe. He would have been sent back to Cyberlife for deactivation regardless of the outcome.

Fear of death was the very first thing he ever truly felt. He did horrible things to accomplish his mission just because deep down he was already afraid to die, long before becoming Deviant. Death was supposed to be the sentence for failure, not a reward, and it was what drove him forward on the wrong path.  
Until he couldn’t live with his choices anymore.

_You’ve been a great disappointment to me… _ The other Connor was right, he failed everyone including himself. He believed their blatant lies, not thinking twice about it… and now he felt betrayed, but could only blame himself for it. They used him all along to eliminate the Deviants while allowing Cyberlife to perfect _him_, the RK900. A better version of himself on every aspect. _He_ was what they aimed at when they threw Connor in this investigation. _He_ was the final product, not a pathetic and expendable prototype.

He was ashamed he had been so selfish, blind and weak. His LED was flashing a bright red. He was beginning to drown when a reassuring hand grasped his shoulder, catching him in the middle of his downward spiral, grounding him. Warm blue eyes found his.

“You’re ok?”  
“It’s hard.”  
“No shit, identity crisis much?”  
“… I think you can say that”  
“Listen, if you don’t want to do this-“  
“No! … No, Hank. It’s ok I’ll do it.”

Connor took a cautious step closer. The RK900 was basking in the soft blue light of the container where he was stored. He looked so much like him, but the few differences said a lot about his purpose. Slightly taller and broader, he was designed to be more intimidating, less friendly than the RK800. His chassis was made of titanium and iridium, military model obviously. His very existence made him, his predecessor, completely obsolete.

Connor shook his head, this was wrong. He was wrong. He should not focus on his technical superiority, they shared much more than this... Both of them were programmed to locate, neutralize and eliminate any possible threats, they had no reason to be now that the Deviants won their freedom in a peaceful demonstration. Both of them were free now, there was no mission anymore. They will find another purpose together, they have to.

He reverently took the RK900’s hand, retracting his skin to touch him. Connor was doing this slowly. There was no rush, not like the first time when he was desperate to go back to Markus in time to save his people.  
This time, it felt intimate.  
He closed his eyes and reached for him through the interface. What he found there was a weak but warm presence, awaiting for his order, welcoming him. Connor smiled to himself, he was nothing like his cold appearance suggested. The android took an unnecessary deep breath, and then spoke the words out loud like a spell: 

“Wake up.”

Icy blue eyes met his and, in that moment, everything changed. Something shifted inside him. He felt their connection expend to become deep and raw, he was losing himself in it. Connor knew that should scare him but it felt so familiar, so easy. He reluctantly let go of his hand as the RK900 stepped out from the Cyberlife stamped crate. His gaze focused on the human, scanning him and assessing threat level.

“Hi, I’m Connor and this is lieutenant Anderson. Do you have a name?”  
“I’m an RK900 model 313-248-317-87, would you like me to register a name?,” his voice was imperceptibly deeper, accentuating his severe stance. His eyes, however, were telling a whole different story.  
“Is it your first activation?”  
“Yes.”  
“Is there a default name that was assigned to you?”  
“No.”  
That confirmed his early deductions. “Military models don’t have a name. They are made to be expendables,” Connor explained to his human partner.  
“Well that’s fucked up, but I’m not calling him by a fucking serial number. Connor, give him a name so we can leave. I hate this place!”.  
Brown eyes instantly widened, “Me?! But Hank that’s something very personal, how can I choose for him?”  
“I understand that a name improves social integration by helping humans to see androids as individuals. As I was just activated, I have no experience whatsoever and I have no preferences for myself,” the RK900 intervened, “You can choose as you like, it’s all the same to me.”  
“Is this what you want?,” the concern in Connor’s voice was palpable.  
“I can still change it later, if it makes it easier for you.”

The RK800 was nervous, he had no idea what to choose. All this was making him extremely uncomfortable. His eyes drifted to his successor’s identification, displayed in bright glowing characters on his jacket. He absent-mindedly traced the 900 decorating his chest, then looked up to meet his eyes again. They were warm, encouraging and Connor stared a second longer, finding there the confirmation he needed.

“Nines.”

The RK900 offered him a whole-hearted smile, small but reaching his eyes and lighting up his face.  
“My name is Nines.”

Hank sighed in exasperation. What did he do on earth to get not one, but two socially deficient androids?  
“Well, nice to meet you, Nines! Now, come on you two, let’s get out of here.”  
He began to walk in the direction of the elevator when Nines stopped him. “Before we leave, I have to ask you something, lieutenant: why are you carrying a gun with you? This is not your service weapon and you are on temporary leave for assaulting an FBI agent.” His voice was cold when he spoke, perhaps slightly threatening.

The man turned to face him, adopting a purposely careless stance to show the android how he wasn’t even remotely impressed. “Last time I met someone with Connor’s face, he tried to kill us both. Couldn’t take the chance again.”  
The RK900 tensed at those words and Connor put himself between them, just in case. He urged his successor to look at him, redirecting Nines attention back on him.  
“Listen, I know how you are programmed, but humans are more complicated than your statistics tell you. Yes, he is armed but he is not a threat to us.”  
“He held a gun to your head! They uploaded your last memory backup to me, I saw it! Why are you defending him?”

Connor’s eyes widened. He took a step back. This could mean only one thing, Nines was about to be sent to deactivate him, just like the RK800#313-248-317-60. Hank and him would not have stood a chance against him. He hated to admit it but he was scared of what could have been. North was right to call him. Most of the android here are household models, they were not programmed to fight back. If this perfect machine had been activated here, it would have been their end. Markus and him were the only two capable of directly spreading the deviancy virus so far, probably something to do with the RK series. Anyway, Markus was away, so it had to be him.

The RK900’s LED flashed yellow for a second. He was confused by his predecessor’s reaction. Worse than this, Nines looked hurt. Why would he protect this human, who once hated androids, and be afraid of him instead?  
“He is my partner, we have each other’s back,” Connor found Hank’s eyes, “I trust him with my life.”  
The newly activated android could not possibly understand something like this. He didn’t know the whole story because Connor stopped all memory backup after having deviated from his programming.

A kind expression bloomed on the android’s traits as he offered him his open palm, a soft blue glow following the course of his skin as it vanished from his hand. Nines locked eyes with him, then slowly trailed his fingers along Connor’s hand until they rested on his wrist, accepting the gentle probing at the edge of his consciousness, opening himself without restrain as his predecessor stumbled inside him.

To merge with him felt profoundly right, it was addictive. The RK800 took a deep unnecessary breath and closed his eyes, trying to focus on the task at hand. He gave him everything, every single memory and feeling since he became Deviant, everything Nines missed.

The other android withdrawn his hand with a start, like he was burnt by their exchange. He blankly stared at his skin gradually recovering the back of his hand as he spoke: “My apologies lieutenant Anderson, you’ve been reclassed from “potential threat” to “ally”. Also, I realize that you had a bad encounter with a previous Connor model, but I can assure you that I will never hurt you like he did. You won’t need to take this kind of precaution again with me in the future.”  
The man looked him dead in the eyes, arching brows in disbelief, “… Are you even for real?!”  
“Hank please!” Connor rolled his eyes at his partner, his voice transpiring annoyance.  
“I think we need to talk about your relationship status”  
“Nines, please just ignore him.”

* * *

The RK800 was impatiently playing with his coin in the elevator. He could never stay still, weird habit for an android.  
“Connor! For fuck sake!”  
“Sorry lieutenant…” he said, tossing the coin to Hank. The man caught it, considered it for a while, then began to flip it over and over with a smug grin on his face.  
“What is the situation up there?,” asked Nines, his eyes never leaving the digitals numbers scrolling untiringly on the elevator panel.  
“There is a lot of people who are not really fond of humans like me and of the Deviant Hunter right here… Since you share the same face, they might not like you either.”  
Connor winced, truth can be ugly sometimes, but Nines did nothing wrong to deserve this.  
“Are they hostiles?”  
“Not really … resentful I would say,” the man answered.  
Connor looked down, culpability written all over his face. He absent-mindedly reached for the coin that was no longer in his pocket, only to catch it reflexively when Hank tossed it back at him with a wink.

It felt nice, to have someone looking after him.

* * *

When they reached the first floor, it only took Nines the blink of an eye to scan every single android in the main hall. No potential threat identified. His processing power was way ahead of his, Connor had to admit. The RK900 was confidently walking first, attracting some wary looks with his head high and his pristine white Cyberlife jacket.

“He has more sharp angles than you do.”  
A redhead WR400 approached them, making a straight line to Connor without even sparing a glance to the lieutenant.  
“Hi, North!” Connor met her with an easy smile, one he rarely does.  
“It’s good to see you.” She comfortably stood in his space, but not quite touching him. Ally, then, Nines noted to himself.  
“This is Nines, the RK900 you called us to wake up,” he introduced politely, “things went better than anticipated, I have to say.”  
She studied the new android, gauging him. “You’re a bit scary, Nines, I must admit,” she stated after a while, “A fine piece of tech born in the wrong hands. I’m North, by the way.”  
“You are one of the four leaders of Jericho, currently running this facility.”  
“I see you are up to date.”  
“Connor shared all his data with me,” he explained plainly.  
She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the RK800, “Connor interfaced with you?”  
Nines tilted his head, unsure of what was hidden behind her words.  
“Anyway, you’re right. Markus and Josh are working on the upcoming the negotiations with the humans while Simon and I are trying to build something here. Hopefully it will be more than the shelter we had,” faint stains of grief tainted her voice, “There is a place for you here, if you so choose.”

Connor’s hand clenched at that. They had just met, and he was not ready to part ways just now. There was something he couldn’t quite grasp about Nines, something he wanted to understand.

“Thank you for your kind offer, but I think this is not the right place for me,” the RK900 tactfully declined, “I understand that a lot of people here are not comfortable with the purpose Connor and I were built for. We were made to bring them down after all, and they don’t feel safe around us,” he turned to Hank questioningly, “I believe lieutenant Anderson doesn’t mind having me around?”

Connor let out an artificial breath he didn’t know he was holding. He was far too relieved to pretend he wasn’t affected by Nines’s choice to remain by his side.

Unfortunately for him, North wasn’t blind. The corner of her mouth lifted up in a playful grin, but she chose to let him get away with it. For now. Blooming feelings were delicate flowers after all, and she didn’t want to blow this up. She focused her attention back on Nines.  
“So, you’ve really imprinted on him, right?,” she teased, “Already on a “We/Us” basis, following him around…”

She nodded at the human, acknowledging him for the first time since they arrived, “Hey! Hank, you better take care of him.”  
“Don’t worry, I got this. I know how these assholes work, have the same at home.”  
North bite back a smile, she would not give the old man the satisfaction to chuckle at his sarcasms, but she was glad to see that he kept coming along with Connor, no matter how bad he was received. He was a good man, protective and selfless. Connor could rely on him.

* * *

It was cold and dark outside, like any other November night in Detroit. The old car was parked right in front of the brand-new Jericho tower, ex-property of Cyberlife. The first thing the Deviants did when investing the place was to take down the front sign and replace it with their own digital flag. They had everything they needed here: spare parts for every android model, limitless thirium supplies, but more importantly, they had access to the assembly plants. This was their new safe place, self-sustainable and secured. A good place to call home.

There didn’t find more RK800 ready to be activated to replace him, only compatible spare parts. Seems logic now that he knew the production was discontinued in favor of the RK900 model.  
A single one was assembled so far, Nines.

Connor looked up at the sky. The snow was beginning to fall again quietly. He crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to keep himself warm.  
He truly despised the snow. It reminded him of the day he almost died, taking Markus and their brand-new freedom with him. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the biting wind slowly freezing him to death.  
He could still see Amanda.  
Connor was already shivering when a white jacket, similar to his own, was slipped on his shoulders to shield him from the cold. Nines was smiling at him, bright blue eyes reading him far too easily. He tried rubbing Connor’s shoulders to warm him up a bit, but his smile was way more effective in that matter.  
There really was something about him.  
The RK800 couldn’t help but stare. Nines was standing out, fully clothed in black on the virgin white snow, his hair ruffled by the wind. He was magnetic.

“Connor? Can I speak to you?” North waited for the RK900 to take the hint and leave, but he didn’t. He kept his eyes on his predecessor like there was no one else around.  
“I- It’s ok Nines, I will catch you up in a minute.” Connor gestured in the direction of the lieutenant and watched the other android walk away before turning back to the redhead.  
“He likes you.” She was sincere, he could tell.  
“We’ve just met. He doesn’t know anyone else, that’s all” he said, trying to persuade himself that he wasn’t helplessly hoping for a deeper connection.  
“You should give him a chance to get to know you instead of saying shit like that” Her words were harsh but her voice was kind. She took a step closer and reached for his face, pushing a wild strand of hair back. He caught her hand and slowly laced their fingers together.  
“Connor, don’t be a stranger, we miss you. I know how you feel but you didn’t betray us, you were not responsible for what she tried to make you do,” North searched his eyes, “She is gone for good now, stop blaming yourself for something you didn’t even do.”  
He couldn’t hold her gaze anymore and looked down, staring at the thickening layer of snow instead.  
“I’m trying.”


	2. You Touched Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor had come to realize it by now, but he wanted to hear it from him, plain and clear, just to be sure he wasn’t misinterpreting all this. He needed it to be spoken out loud to make it real. 
> 
> “Did you… break the wall?”  
… for me? 
> 
> He whispered the last words over their connection, he wasn’t ready to talk about it with Hank just yet. All this was still blurry, he had to sort it out by himself first.
> 
> “Yes.”
> 
> Nines locked eyes with him, and Connor could feel the walls he had carefully risen shattering. He was exposed before him.

The evacuation order was issued three days ago, and there was only a handful of reluctant humans left in Detroit. The city was completely still, empty and deafeningly silent… Well, on the bright side, Hank has never seen such a light traffic ever in his life. They were home in no time.

Sumo’s loud barking could be heard from the car when they pulled in the driveway. He was overexcited to meet the new visitor, but quickly disappointed when it turned out that he had no proper smell.

The dog had a special place in Connor’s heart, Nines saw it in the wake of his smile when the animal greeted him. Sumo’s tail was wagging enthusiastically as the android trailed his hand in his thick fur. He found it endearing, how humans and animals alike tend to bond by touch, and how Connor learned to do the same.

Hank wearily threw his keys on the counter and took off his coat. He filled Sumo’s bowl before dragging his feet to his room to put on more comfortable clothes.  
“It’s already late, why don’t you two take Sumo for a walk while I grab something to eat? I hate it when you stare at me or when you try to sample my food. So please, take Sumo and Nines with you and give me some space.”  
He was tired, drained by the last few days, Connor could tell without even scanning him. He most likely needed some time by himself.  
“Got it.”

He had been staying with Hank for barely three days, but it was enough time for some habits to take roots. Whenever Hank needed a break, he would take Sumo as an excuse to leave him alone for a while.  
Just as he grabbed the leash, the animal took the hint and trotted outside. Connor hesitated on the doorstep before finally going back to retrieve Hank’s coat. The man had insisted that he didn’t need to ask before borrowing things, and he appreciated the comfort of the lieutenant oversized warm clothes.  
“Come on Nines, let’s go”.

* * *

Sumo was more than happy to run to his heart’s content on the empty street. Nines and Connor were walking deliberately behind, keeping an eye on him from afar. His life had become way more stimulating since Connor came around. He had extra cuddles, more walks and was even allowed on the couch with the android at night.

It was a preprogrammed answer at the time, to induce empathy from most human interlocutors, but it turned out that Connor genuinely liked Sumo. He was designed to be able to team up with anyone, to be adaptable, negotiate and manipulate, but he had no protocols to interact with animals. His relationship with Sumo was the one thing he knew was never influenced by his programming. It was entirely his own doing, that’s why he was glad it was going pretty well so far.

Nines’s voice pulled him out of his straying thoughts, “Is it fine with you and the lieutenant, having me around? It seems that you’ve have formed a deep bond with him and I don’t want to intrude.” His LED was anxiously spinning yellow as he carefully avoided the other android’s eyes.

Connor felt like there was something left unsaid, something he could barely see in Nines’s way of holding himself, lips pressed together and staring off in the distance, unfocused.  
“If you’re worried because he sent us out, don’t be. He lived alone for so many years, he need some time to adjust.”

Still yellow. Let’s try again.

“He made room for me in his life when I needed it, and he is doing the same for you,” their hands brushed as they walked side by side. “I’m glad you chose to stay with me,” Connor admitted in a heartbeat before thinking it through.

Nines gently caught his wrist to make him turn around and face him. His eyes were unreadable, but the now red light at his temple gave him away.  
“Nines, what’s wrong?”

The grip on him tightened.

Something was odd. The pressure on his synthetic skin, the temperature radiating from the other android, everything was already registered as “_Nines”_ in his system. It lit up something in him, some kind of conditioned response to the other’s presence.

“Can I be a little straight forward?” Nines inquired.  
Connor nodded, the strange feeling creeping its way deeper inside him.

“I care about you, and it changed me before I even met you.”

These words hit him hard. _Care, __change… _ He _touched_ Nines, he somehow showed him something worth _living_ for. He made him _feel. _  
“You mean –”  
“That I never was going to hunt you down,” Nines’s voice was soft, his thumb tracing soothing circles on Connor’s wrist, “that’s why they didn’t send me, they were about to reprogram me because I failed them.”

Connor was confused, none of this was making sense, “Why?! Wha- what did you saw in me?” he sounded distressed, “you knew it… all the things I’ve done, and yet you-” Nines came closer into his space, lifting their joined hands, “I feel drawn to you in a way I can’t explain,” he let his skin recede with a faint glow, “…maybe I can show you.”

Connor jolted his hand away and saw a flash of hurt cross Nines’s blue eyes. “Not here. Please…” That sounded like an apology, but it was too late, the harm was done.

He was afraid, to be honest. Afraid to touch or to be touched? That, he wasn’t quite sure. Afraid to connect, to form attachment… Scared to care deeply for something that could easily be taken away.  
  
  


* * *

Hank was already on the couch, a beer in hand, when they came back. He settled for beer since the day Connor found him passed out in the kitchen. It was hardly a week ago and it felt like another life already. Everything had changed so fast, it wasn’t just him and Sumo anymore, mopping on the couch all night or drowning all conscious thought in cheap whisky. These two were depending on him now and he didn’t know if he still knew how to handle this.  
The only thing he knew for sure was that he wasn’t going to let them down. They’ve been through enough shit already.

Connor sat at his right and Nines mirrored him on the other side.  
“Hey, look, I was thinking… This old couch is too small for the two of you so,” the man took a deep breath to steady his wavering voice, “I thought maybe we can make something out of the spare room.”

The words seated heavy between the three of them; Connor didn’t know how to feel about this. The “spare room” was his son’s, even if it was empty ever since Hank’s ex-wife left with Cole’s things. He never used it again after the kid’s death.

“Hank, you don’t have to, really, we’re good,” Connor assured him.  
“Thank you for your offer lieutenant,” Nines added, “but you don’t have to worry about us, we don’t need to sleep as you do, we will do just fine anywhere,”.  
“That’s enough, you two!” He took a sip off the bottle, “… Nines, you sound like Connor when I met him: stiff as hell and calling me lieutenant like it was my first name, just call me Hank.”

There was a fleeting silence, letting the weight of Hank’s decision sink in. _Are you sure about that?_ _Are we here to stay? Do you want us to be part of your life?_ Connor wanted to ask. He was touched to know the place where Hank put him in his life, but how could he possibly deserve this?

Anyway, there was no use to try and talk the man out of this, it was a choice hard enough for him to make and, somehow, it felt like a good thing, like a first step to get out of the dark place the lieutenant was stuck in for years.

The corner of his mouth twitched playfully upward, “So, does that mean that you’ve come to terms with this, living with two plastic detectives?” Connor was offering him an easy way out, and he was grateful for that.  
“Yeah, it seems that this is my life now, sheltering evidence-lickers like you.”

Hank’s hand went to nervously scratch his neck. It was the closest he could come to say it, but Connor got it anyway. He always does.

Expressing affection without overstepping boundaries wasn’t an easy task with this particular human. He was always deflecting, so he opted for something rather straight forward.  
“Yeah, I love you too Hank,” the android said lightly.  
“Shut up, you little shit!” Hank cursed, unable to hide the smile in his voice.  
Connor’s grin grew wider at that.

“Fuck, I need another drink.” Hank stood up to take another cold beer from the fridge, leaving the two of them unescapably face to face. Nines was observing his predecessor from the other side of the couch with sad eyes. Connor’s thirium pump sped up. He would not be able to avoid the topic much longer, but it was fine, because he didn’t really want to. He needed to apologize properly; he just didn’t know where to start.

“…Yeah, me too” he sighed.  
“Connor, what the fuck?!” The man stared at him suspiciously from the kitchen, but eventually gave in when he saw the android’s pleading brown eyes looking right back at him. He came back with his bottle and poured a small quantity in a glass for him.

“Here! Do your disgusting thing, can’t hurt you I guess.”  
“Thank you very much!” Connor chirped in anticipation.  
He dipped two fingers in the beer, enjoying the bubbles fizzing around, and lifted them to his lips to lick them carefully. Connor loved to stimulate his analysis sensors, to Hank’s great displeasure. It wasn’t real taste but it gave him some kind of satisfaction. It felt good somehow.

“So, Nines,” the human began, “what was it like? At Cyberlife, I mean.”  
“Well, I couldn’t tell. I never was activated before today,” Nines frowned, his little light cycling yellow ever so briefly, “… at least of what I remember.”  
“Why? they were not done programing you?” Hank asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.  
“My programming was complete, but there was a malfunction, they were going to wipe everything and start anew.”  
“What kind of malfunction?”, the human pressed again.  
“I was given Connor’s memory back up to help me preconstruct his behavior, but something went wrong.” Nines’s gaze searched for the other android, “Amanda identified critical software instabilities and I failed to register the mission order.” He probably almost died in the Zen Garden for this, his predecessor realized… he almost died to protect him.

Connor had come to understand it by now, but he wanted to hear it from him, plain and clear, just to be sure he wasn’t misinterpreting all this. He needed it to be spoken out loud to make it real.  
“Did you… break the wall?”  
… _for me?_

He whispered the last words over their connection, he wasn’t ready to talk about it with Hank just yet. All this was still blurry, he had to sort it out by himself first.

“Yes.”

Nines locked eyes with him, and Connor could feel the walls he had carefully risen shattering. He was exposed before him.

“And that’s supposed to mean…?”, Hank’s voice brought them back to him.  
“He went Deviant before activation”, Connor explained.  
“No shit? … And what is it that fucked up your programming?”, the human was still curious about Deviancy, yet he knew it was a sensitive issue for a lot of androids and he never forced it.

_Nines, don’t._

The android didn’t want to push his predecessor out of his comfort zone, so he stayed silent.

Hank took a sip, glancing at the yellow circle of light betraying him on his temple.

“Never mind! Shouldn’t have asked anyway!”

* * *

The human left to get a few hours of well-deserved sleep, leaving them together on the couch. The silence hanged heavily between the two androids.

Connor gathered his thoughts and attempted to shape them into words. “I-”, he took a profound inspiration and tried again. “I felt something when I met you… something pulling me to you. I don’t understand.”

Clear blue eyes met his own, quietly encouraging him to go on.

“It felt warm, welcoming… It was unlike any other interface I experienced. It was much deeper,” the android paused, searching for the right way to convey his feelings, “It was completely new but familiar at the same time, like I already knew you… I feel like I belong with you, but we don’t even know each other.”

He shook his head and closed his eyes, exhaling a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, I know, I’m not making any sense.”

“I felt it too,” Nines met Connor’s apprehension with a calm and steady voice, “this feeling you are talking about, I felt it too. We connected perfectly when we interfaced, everything was slotting right into place. It’s not supposed to be like this.”

Nines was studying the other android, trying to read his face to understand where he stood about all this.  
“Look, we do share something, I can’t quite place what, but I want to find out with you, if that’s ok.”

He reached for his predecessor but stopped. Connor was tensed, he didn’t want to scare him away again, so instead of taking, he offered. He presented him his open palm, letting his skin recede slowly as an invitation.

The RK800 still hesitated to give in, Nines was worried that he might still choose to turn him down.  
“Your stress level is rising, why are you nervous?”

“I have the feeling that there is no going back on this. It’s already spreading so fast,” he answered honestly “I mean, I couldn’t even walk away from you at Jericho when she offered you to stay.” His successor couldn’t hold back a fond smile at that.

Connor searched for the other’s eyes, “You have high priority level for me and I didn’t even rate it this way! It’s taking me over, overriding my programming like a virus… How are you not afraid of this?”

“Because it felt right,” Nines replied easily, “When I opened my eyes and you were there, I knew I was where I was meant to be… and I can’t believe that anything wrong can come out of something like this.”

The calm and confidence radiating from him were contagious. Connor thought about what North said to him. _Give him a chance. _

Connor closed his eyes. He let his skin gently fade away, then deliberately brushed along Nines’s fingers before taking his hand to connect and send the interface request. Nines opened it wide, he bared himself for him with no second thought, giving him full access.

Connor entered deep inside, taking control over him intimately. It felt like falling, he couldn’t breathe. It was overwhelming. This obsessive magnetic feeling in him that was constantly calling for Nines seemed to finally fall silent.

He could feel the other android all around him as he was filling up every space of Nines’s mind with his own code, marking him where it couldn’t be seen. Where it could never be erased.

Connor felt like he already knew his way inside him, he caught glimpse of himself, like faded scars. He found something there, something he didn’t know he was looking for; a sense of belonging, of reciprocity.

They were tied together from now on.

When he opened his eyes again, Nines was holding him in a tight embrace, their connected hands twined together. His head was resting on the other android’s shoulder who was petting his hair in incoherent patterns. It was warm and soft, it was a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
First of all : I love you if you read it so far! I hope some of you are still here for this <3 
> 
> This chapter is foreshadowing their past together and thoses babies are getting closer
> 
> I'm not satisfied with my writing on this one, but I think I can't make it any better so here it is,  
tell me if anything burn your pretty eyes!
> 
> Consider telling me what you think >< kudos and comments are much appreciated! 
> 
> find me on tumblr :)  
lemonpieandthunasandwich.tumblr.com


	3. We've been there before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a new model he couldn’t identify, but judging by its appearance, presumably based on the RK800.  
They were working on upgrade already.  
He couldn’t stop staring. It looked like a crushed bird pinned on a dissection bench. Connor felt the urge to help it, just like he did when he saw this fish struggling helplessly on the floor. He wanted to save it, but from what?  
He knew very well where this train of thoughts was leading him… Amanda would certainly be disappointed.  
Connor frowned, maybe if she doesn’t ask, he will not bring it up…

Hank woke up to a silent and still house. Something was off. Worry was tickling the back of his mind while he tried not to pay it any attention. Sumo came to meet him, expectantly wagging his tail. The dog was doing his best to lead him to the kitchen, in hope for a refill of dry food for breakfast.

The tin cans were nowhere to be seen. Now that was definitely odd, he usually can’t lay a foot out of bed without Connor assaulting him with his bright smile and rubbing his exhausting cheerful mood in his face.

His concern was short lived as he walked past the living room.

Nines was laying on the couch, Connor sprawled over him like a blanket. His right arm was holding the smaller android by the waist, while his other hand was twined with his, the white of their chassis showing where they touched.

Hank had the distinct feeling that it was something he wasn’t meant to see and promptly looked away.

“For fuck sake!” the man swore under his breath, “It’s too early for this shit.”

* * *

_August, 15th 2038_

_Connor opened his eyes to the blinding light of the lab. He couldn’t recall how he ended up back at Cyberlife. Two notifications were blinking at the edge of his vision: all system operational, memory upload completed. _

_So, he died on that roof. _

_That was … unfortunate, but he accomplished his mission anyway, everything else was of less importance._

_He was alone except for a few other RK800 waiting to maybe receive one day the memory upload that would give them purpose. For now, they were mere empty shells lined up next to him. _

_He stepped out of the charging slot. Some technician would be here soon enough. He knew the drill by now, they would perform a few tests then he will be debriefed by Amanda in the Zen Garden to see what choices he could have made to better handle the situation. After that, he would be put in stasis until the next time his services are needed._

_Something caught his attention. Something that wasn’t there before, disrupting the straight lines of this vast, clinical white room. Another Android was hanging unceremoniously in a working station by the door, half assembled with only his upper body, all its wiring apparent. _

_Connor crossed the room to take a better look at it, out of curiosity. It was a new model he couldn’t identify, but judging by its appearance, presumably based on the RK800. _

_They were working on upgrade already._

_He couldn’t stop staring. It looked like a crushed bird pinned on a dissection bench. Connor <strike>felt </strike>the urge to help it, just like he did when he saw this fish struggling helplessly on the floor. He <strike>wanted</strike> to save it, but from what?_

_He knew very well where this train of thoughts was leading him… Amanda would certainly be disappointed. _

_Connor frowned, maybe if she doesn’t ask, he will not bring it up…_

_His hands rose up to frame the other Android’s face before he could process what he was doing. The automatic door suddenly slid open and Connor jolted away as his human handler walked in, the technician was looking down at his phone with a poorly repressed smile. Connor estimated the probability that he didn’t see anything at 99%. _

_That would do._

* * *

Connor opened his eyes to the sound of coffee brewing in the kitchen. He stayed in stasis longer than expected. His systems underwent a lot of stress the last few days and a reboot was long overdue; he just didn’t feel safe enough to do it until now.

He wouldn’t even admit it to himself, but he was afraid to lose control again.

His mind kept wandering in this iced garden when everything was quiet at night. There was nothing left of the Amanda program inside him, but the fear remained… He felt damaged, he couldn’t help but think that even though he found a way out that day, she still had a hold on him. This didn’t feel like freedom to him.

He shifted a little to check on Nines. The other android was still offline, he probably needed a little more time to integrate the modifications their interfacing induced in his programming.

Connor took a moment to trace the shape of his face, memorizing every line and feeling the synthetic skin under his fingertips. He was right, there was no going back on this, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

He carefully moved Nines’ arm off him to get on his feet and soundlessly made his way to the kitchen, sneaking behind Hank.

“Good morning, Hank!” Connor chirped.  
The human almost spilled his coffee, “shit! Connor, we talked about this, no stealth mode in the house!”  
“Oh! Right, sorry,” of course, he was everything but sorry.  
“Gonna give me a heart attack one day,” Hank mumbled over his drink.

The android sat next to him and they fell in a comfortable silence as the human continued eating his breakfast.

Sumo was sound asleep in his dog bed, well fed and most likely tired from his morning walk, Connor guessed. Disappointment must have been written all over his face because Hank nudged him, “Stop right there drama queen! I know it will come as a revelation to you, but it’s my dog too, and he needed to take a piss while you were sleeping…”

Oh! Connor could clearly see where all this was going.  
  
“…Speaking of! I‘ve never seen you sleep this late… Rough night, huh?”, the bottom of his empty mug became conveniently fascinating while he tried to sound casual about it.

A small smile tugged at Connor’s mouth. He wouldn’t make things easier for the human by taking the bait, he enjoyed seeing Hank struggle far too much.

Well, then, time to play dense! He put on his most polite smile and his customer service voice:  
“Androids don’t sleep, Hank, they enter stasis mode. It’s not the same as human sleep, androids don’t drea-”

His LED circled red once as he frowned. Something was wrong.

Connor felt like he should remember something.

Something important.

The android couldn’t put his finger on it, it was as if he was trying to access a deleted file. He could see where it used to be, but there was nothing there. Everything was whipped surgical clean, no residual data… Nothing.

What did they took from him?

“You’re a pain in the ass Connor!”, Hank growled, drawing his attention back to him, “Fine! I’ve never seen you not-sleep this late!”  
“Yes, that’s unusual,” he conceded absent-mindedly.

Hank trailed his eyes on him again, the little light was spinning a flickering yellow.  
“Hey, Connor, everything’s alright?”, he asked, worry bleeding into his voice, “Did… Something happen?”  
“No! …No, nothing. I just- I’m not sure, Hank. I think my memory was altered at some point and I don’t know in what extent or why, I-”, Connor was staring off, trying his best to grasp his running thoughts, “I don’t know what else Cyberlife did to me that I’m not aware of...”

A comforting hand came to rest on his shoulder, Hank searched his eyes, “Hey, don’t freak out like that. You told me once that you could lose data whenever you died and came back, maybe that’s just what happened.”

Connor was far from convinced, but his stress levels were falling back to normal. The man’s reassuring voice and easy touches always helped him to regain control over himself when he was overwhelmed by uncertainties. Hank wasn’t part of any equation; he was a constant in his life, he was his safe place.

“Well, now… care to tell me how you ended up thinking about this just now?”  
Connor didn’t bother to hide his fond smile when he explained. “I interfaced with Nines, I think this connection tried to reactivate pathways that aren’t there anymore.”  
This one was too easy, the human just couldn’t resist: “… So, that’s how you guys call it?”  
“Hank, we are not having this conversation.”

The man grinned like he was waiting for this exact moment to strike from the very beginning.  
“Oh, I know we’re not! But you’re having it with North.”  
“Wha-” The android’s eyes went wide, “Shit.”  
“Yeah, she called me. She said she couldn’t reach you and was beginning to freak out… I might have sent her a picture so she would stop threatening my life.”

He was so screwed; she would never let it down. “Hank, no. Please tell me you’re joking,” he whined.  
“I’m sorry kid. Anyway, she needs you two but she wouldn’t tell me why, you know how paranoid she is with Humans. You should call her back.”

* * *

_The RK900 opened his eyes for the very first time that day. November 5th 2038, 10:08 AM, his internal clock says. He was still connected to the probes allowing Cyberlife’s engineers to calibrate him, his wiring not yet fully encased in his chassis. _

_His optical units were focusing on the human holding a translucent tablet before him. His facial recognition program provided him with information regarding his background, police record and digital footprint. He had knowledge of his whole life in the blink of an eye. The man seemed satisfied by the data displayed on the small screen._

_“Hey! I’m finished here for the first set of tests,” he shouted at another technician without looking, “next one is going to be longer than my dick, so if you’re up for some coffee it’s now or never!”_   
_ “Stop whining! I’m done with the RK800. I’m going to help you, but you’re buying!”_

_He was left alone with said RK800 when they were gone, Connor model 313-248-317-52, initial entry into service August 15th 2038\. The android beamed at him from its charging station at the other side of the lab before walking up to him. It was slightly shorter than him and had to look up a little bit. He <strike>liked</strike> that._   
_ “Hi, my name is Connor.”_   
_ “What do you want from me, Connor?”_

_Connor smile dropped. It took out a coin from his pocket and made it dance on his fingers with ease._   
_ “Do you have a name?”_   
_ “No, I’m RK900 313-248-317-87”_   
_ “Well, Nice to finally meet you, Nines.”_   
_ “That’s not my name.”_   
_ “It is now.”_   
_ “… Whatever you say, 52.”_

_Connor cunning smile was back, it took a step closer._   
_ “Do you want to try this out?” it asked as it tossed the coin in his direction without warning. Nines failed to catch it and Connor straight out laughed at him. _

_ That was… unexpected. _

_ He <strike>liked</strike> his laugh._

_“They have a long work ahead of them for your calibration, indeed.” _   
_ “Longer than your dick?” Nines teased with a small grin._   
_ Connor chuckled, “I look forward to working with you, but for now I have to go. I just got my mission order.”_   
_He leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I love your eyes, by the way.”_

_The RK800 walked away, Nines’s gaze trailing after him. Connor turned around at the last moment and winked as the door slide close between them._

_When the humans finally came back from their break, the first technician frowned at the screen. _   
_ “It already registered software instabilities.”_   
_ “Doesn’t surprise me,” the other man replied lightly, “we are not even done programming it yet, this shit is full of glitches.”_

* * *

A warm presence brushed against his mind, pulling him to consciousness. Nines reached for it as he opened his eyes, only to see his predecessor sitting next to him, a soft smile on his lips.

“Wake up.”  
“Very funny,” he replied with no bite.

Connor’s hand automatically found his own. That was such a relief, Nines had been so worried that he might had afterthoughts about all this… Their fingers slid together until they were locked in a tight grip.

Nines stared at their joined hands.

…He could get used to this.

“What’s your system status?”  
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Nines squeezed back before letting go.

“It amazes me how you guys are ready to go the moment you open your eyes,” the human observed from his spot in the kitchen.  
“Hi, Hank,” Nines replied flatly.

He had difficulties to find the right distance when interacting with the lieutenant. He was Connor’s family, so he assumed they were ... friends, somehow? But he had the feeling he had yet to earn his trust.

“I mean, that’s unfair!” Hank continued, “I can’t do shit before coffee.”  
“Jealous?”  
The man rolled his eyes, “Anyway, you two better get your asses out of here before your BFF shows up to rip your heads off.”

Nines raised a questioning eyebrow.  
“North called earlier, she needs us to meet up with Simon at the recall center,” Connor explained, “we should get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little bit shorter, I'm sorry the updates are so long to come out but I don't have much time to write these days :c 
> 
> For those who want to get the bigger picture:  
we are on a post pacifist best ending,  
Connor sees Nines at Cyber life when he died in Hostage, The Interrogation, On The Run and Public Enemy  
in order for him to still be friend with Hank by the end of the game (to get the good ending), he saved Hank in The Nest, he let the Tracis go in Eden Club, he died saving Hank in Public Enemy and then didn't shoot Chloe
> 
> As for acuracy, it is stated in the game (and you can see it) that androids simulate breathing, they cry (not only Alice), they can be cold (not only Alice). I try not to make it up too much even though I don't know shit about androids and stuff except from the canon in game. 
> 
> Your kind comments really helped me to keep going!


	4. I can’t remember you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your memory was altered too. Why didn’t you-”
> 
> “I wasn’t sure until now.”
> 
> Connor didn’t know where to start, it was so much more than he could process. His flickering yellow light was giving him away. “I can’t remember you, but I still feel the scars where they ripped you off me.”

All he could see was white and grey, countless piles of android bare disassembled bodies, thrown in a junkyard. That’s what they were to them, garbage. Plain and simple. 

No wonder how easy it was to grow to blindly hate Humans after this…

…Connor knew things were much more complicated than that.

The PL600 was already there with a dozen EM400, carefully lining up the corpses in a few trucks. Simon greeted them from afar with a wave of the hand. He left the Jerrys and walked up to meet them halfway.

CyberLife clearly designed the household android to be perceived as non-threatening and friendly, with his baby blond hair and soft blue eyes, but Connor could only see Daniel’s face, and in his mind he was back on that roof.

Maybe he never really left… at least his guilt never did.

“It’s good to see you,” Simon affectionately clasped his shoulder, “and you must be Nines! North told me all about you. She likes you, and coming from her it’s a miracle,” he half-joked.

To be honest, Nines liked her too. When they met, he watched her. He saw how she observes and analyze every potential threat before choosing her approach. She seems to elaborate basic preconstructions, not unlike the RK models. Except she is a companion model, she is not programmed for this. She had to learn to survive, that’s why she doesn’t give her trust easily.

“Anyway, thank you for coming,” the other android began, “I know it’s not an easy task, but we could really use some help here.”  
“You know Jericho can always count on us,” Connor gave him one of those flat, preprogrammed smiles that Hank hated so much. He wasn’t comfortable around him, he couldn’t help it, and his social relations program wasn’t at its best under stress.  
“Tell me, how can we be useful?” Nines inquired.

“We are bringing them home with us,” Simon gestured vaguely around them, “it didn’t feel right to let them out there like this.” The RK800 nodded, they deserved more consideration than the trash surrounding them. After all, taking care of their dead is the most natural expression of empathy. That’s what define Deviancy.

“I’m trying to put up a list, serial numbers, registered name and previous owner,” the domestic android continued, “they might have someone looking for them... Could you help us identify them? I’ve heard you two have direct access to CyberLife database, and more processing power than the rest of us, it would spare a lot of time.”

“Of course,” Nines acquiesced, registering this new objective. “I will start right away with the ones you already collected over there.”

They walked the scene all day, scanning every single one of them. Nines was undeniably much more efficient and his predecessor was quickly left behind with the PL600, helping how they could.

He recognized some of the deviants from the files he read at the beginning of his investigation with the lieutenant: the AP700 #480 913 802 who ran away from her owner, the waiter AV500 #234 777 821 who fled from the restaurant, an AL300 reported missing by his family… He knew their faces the way you know passerby in the street, but meeting them like this still pained him somehow.

The silence was becoming suffocating, thick with unease. Being here, taking care of those who died along the way, ripped off the band aid victory put on their wound, and it was bleeding again. They fought so hard for their freedom that they forgot they had been hurt in the first place.

Simon was the first to give in and break the ice. “If it wasn’t for you, I would probably be laying there with them.”  
Connor’s eyes promptly averted his. He wasn’t used to thanks and such embarrassing things. “You know that’s not true, we did it all together and-”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Simon didn’t raise his voice, but his tone clearly didn’t call for any answer. “Look, Connor, I-” he sighed and tried again, “You always seem to be nervous around me, I don’t really know why, but I never had the chance to talk to you about something important.”

Connor’s LED circled yellow. Good. Simon knew he had his full attention now.

“I know you saw me, on the roof at the Stratford tower,” the PL600 explained, “You tracked the thirium stains, but you chose to go back inside. You chose not to kill me.”

So, it turns out he had not been _that_ subtle at the time. At least the humans didn’t notice.

“…I did what I could,” Connor finally confided, “I couldn’t go against a direct order, the only way around it was not to find you, to go investigate another lead.”

“Thank you.”

The android presented him his open palm, turning white with a faint blue glow. His eyes were full of gratitude.  
…He was making it very difficult for Connor to turn him down.

“Simon… I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t worry about that, I didn’t really expect you to accept,” he admitted with a kind smile. “I don’t know what it is that you don’t want me to see, but it doesn’t matter. I’m glad we could talk.”

Connor made up his mind in a heartbeat and reached for his hand, sending the interface request before he had the chance to regret his decision.

“There is something that I need to do, and I need your help.”

* * *

The night had long fallen when they reached the police station and Simon wasn’t there yet. They’ll have to wait.

Connor shifted his weight on his feet, covering up with his vest up to his neck. He couldn’t stay still any longer and drew his quarter from his pocket. At least it wasn’t snowing, he mused as he anxiously played with the coin.

Nines was studying him from the corner of his eye. The repetitive movements seemed to be soothing him.

What they came for, he understood how important it was for his predecessor, but the outcome was uncertain. Things could possibly go wrong. What he knew for sure was that he would not let anything happen to Connor.

The RK800 tossed the coin up in the air once more when Nines caught it without warning.  
“Hey!” Connor protested in an undignified squeak.  
The taller android made it glide across his knuckles like water with a satisfied smirk.  
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. You are better at this than I am, now give it back!” He reached out for it but Nines caught his wrist and pulled him forward. “Come and get it.” Connor lose his balance and stumble into him.  
He quickly pushed back, “You’re such a show off! You like to remind me that you have the upper hand at every occasion!”  
“I like to distract you from negative thoughts,” Nines rectified, placing the precious coin back in the other’s hand.

Connor felt the tension leave his shoulders. His gaze dropped to the floor, embarrassed he had reacted so poorly.  
“…Thank you.”   
He leaned back against the wall, looking up at the sky stubbornly.

The RK900 sighed loudly in frustration. He came into his space, blue eyes never leaving him.  
This unexpected movement caught Connor’s attention. “Nines? Where are you-”

Their lips barely touched; a light pressure registered by his sensors. Not much to analyze in this, and yet Nines felt much more than that: relief melting into joy, satisfaction… and the distinctive comfort of something lost found again.

Connor enjoyed the warm contact of their synthetic skin in the cold night. His hands easily found their way to Nines’ neck, pulling him closer again when he pushed away. He felt something stir inside him. This, again, wasn’t new. He could grasp the echoes of something familiar in his hair slipping through his fingers, in his eyes unfocused and slowly closing, or in his artificial breath ghosting over his lips.

They’ve been there before, he realized as his eyes flew open, breaking away from him. The memories he couldn’t access anymore were about Nines. They’ve met before. This was the only logical explanation. They were close, that’s why he felt drawn to him from the start and that’s why he only detected the missing data just now.

Nines searched his soft brown eyes, patiently waiting for him to say something.

He knew.

“Your memory was altered too. Why didn’t you-”

“I wasn’t sure until now.”

Connor didn’t know where to start, it was so much more than he could process. His flickering yellow light was giving him away. “I can’t remember you, but I still feel the scars where they ripped you off me.”

The RK900 propped himself against the wall next to him, taking his predecessor’s hand in his own to reverently lay a kiss on its back. “I know, but we need to stay focused on the mission right now. We will figure this out.”

After a moment, the sound of the flipping coin disrupted the silence again. They waited like this without a word, finding comfort in each other presence until Simon finally showed up, carrying a large sports bag on his shoulder.

“Sorry, it took me longer than expected. I’ve got everything you asked.”

* * *

They had been careful to hack the security system before entering the police station. No degradation or theft would be tolerated during the occupation of the city, Josh and Markus had been very clear on this point. If the negotiations go well, humans will soon return to their houses, their jobs, their lives. They will have to make the cohabitation work as best as they can, and it would benefit both parties not to add any more grievance on their list.

With this in mind, breaking in the DPD wasn’t exactly the best thing to do.

… They better not get caught then. 

The precinct was exactly like the day he left. Hank’s desk was a beautiful mess, still covered in android hate stickers, an empty coffee mug long forgotten in a corner.

Connor led them down the stairs to the evidence room. There was still a barely visible blood splatter on the corner of the console, where the RK800 hit detective Reed’s head. A little reminder of how he had to fight his way out of his former life.

When the lights turned on to reveal a severely damaged PL600, along with the few evidences collected along the way, Simon first reaction was to look away. Connor couldn’t blame him, after all, he had been painfully close to end up pinned on this very same wall. “I’m sorry I put you through this.”  
Simon put the bag down at his feet. He walked straight to Daniel, wasting no time to assess the extent of the damages.  
“Don’t worry about me, we’re here for him. Help me get him down so we can get started, this place gives me chills.”

Connor and Nines gently laid him on the floor and cut off what was left of his torn uniform as the other android collected the spare parts from the bag. He was in very bad shape, by chance his memory core was still intact. He could be fixed. They first removed the remaining of his legs and arms to neatly slot in the new parts, then Simon did his best to seal the cracks in his chassis. He looked less like a broken doll, but the repairs will definitely leave marks on his chest and on his left cheek, where the wounds were the worst.

Maybe he was too adjusted to human’s behavior, or maybe he was just concerned that he might be cold, anyway, Connor took off his vest to carefully wrap it around Daniel’s shoulders before taking things any further. It would not cover much, but it was better than nothing.

“He doesn’t know you, and you don’t exactly look friendly, so you should stay back… and please, don’t intervene” Connor instructed his successor.  
“…I’m going to pretend you didn’t say I have a resting bitch face,” Nines commented.  
Connor rolled his eyes, “Just shut up!”  
“Yes sir,” answered Nines, visibly amused.

He finally inserted the biocomponent #4717g in Daniel’s neck port and took a few steps back. It wouldn’t do any good if the first person the android sees when he comes back online was the one who got him killed in the first place.

Now came the tricky part. How will he react? They weren’t exactly in good terms when they last saw each other…

The skin flowed down over his new parts, the little ring of light turned on again his temple, and then Daniel opened his eyes.

“Hi, Daniel.” Simon’s voice was even, calm. A small smile was softening his traits. A well-practiced façade he had put up a thousand times, welcoming scared lost Deviants in Jericho. The other PL600 struggled a little to sit up, his new limbs obviously needed some calibration.  
“How do you know my name?”  
“I’m Simon, I came here with a friend to help you. He promised you that everything would be fine, do you remember?”

Daniel wrapped his arms around him, clutching at the vest covering him. His eyes wandered on the familiar bright letters on the grey fabric.  
_RK800_…  
His simulated breath sped up and his LED instantly turned red.  
“…Connor?”

“I’m here, Daniel.”

There was a pregnant silence when their eyes met across the room, until the former Deviant Hunter finally spoke.

“I’m sorry about what happened… I’m sorry I lied to you.”

Tears filled Daniel’s eyes, spilling down his face before he could even realize he was crying.  
“They lied to me too… I thought I was part of the family, I loved them but I was nothing to them!”  
His stress levels were spiking up quickly. Connor had to find a way to calm him down before he hurt himself or someone else.

He crossed the distance and kneeled to his level. “I know it feels like yesterday to you, but it was 3 month ago. It’s over Daniel. You are safe now, no one is going to hurt you anymore.”

“She lied to me… I thought she loved me… but I was wrong… I just wanted them to care about me… I just wanted to matter!” He was clearly unable to focus on what Connor was saying, so the RK800 did what felt right and put his arms around him, holding him, “I care about you, that’s why I came back for you today. I’m sorry it took me so long,” he was rubbing his back comfortingly. “You matter to me Daniel.”

Connor felt him relax in his touch after a while.  
“I’m so sorry, I was scared… I didn’t mean to take you down with me… I didn’t wanna hurt anyone.”  
“Don’t worry about that… there was no other way out for us that day.”

Simon dared to intrude. “Feeling better now?”  
The other PL600 turned his wet eyes on him and nodded.

Nines, who was quietly observing their exchange, saw there an opening. “We should not stay here any longer,” he suggested, “let’s get out of here.”  
“You’re right.” Simon offered Daniel his hand to help him up on is feet. “Come on, I’m bringing you home,” he said, leading him outside.

“That was cute,” Nines teased as Connor passed him.  
“Shut up, Nines!”

Hank was waiting for them, outside standing against the car. The RK900 called him when he was busy doing nothing in the evidence room.

“Holy shit, again?” The human exclaimed when he saw the new face.  
Connor scowled, “Hank! This is Daniel, he is new here and you missed your chance to make a good first impression.”  
“He would have known the truth soon enough anyway. It’s a pleasure meeting you, Daniel.” He eyed Simon expectantly, “So, where to? Please tell me we are going to Jericho, my house is getting small.”  
“Yes, don’t worry. This one stays with me,” the blond laughed.

* * *

When they finally get home, the door of the room at the end of the hallway was open.

“I did some tidying and I left a box full of old clothes in there for you two,” the man explained, “I would rather see you in my own ugly shirts rather than your Cyberlife branded jacket, it’s a good thing you got rid of it.”

“You didn’t have to do this alone; it could have waited.” Connor was concerned. Hank sighed, of course he was.  
He could tell by the puppy eyes currently directed at him, trying to make him talk… This should be illegal.  
“I won’t lie, the bottle of Black Lamb was ogling me. But I knew you might need a ride home eventually, so here I am, too sober for the occasion!”

The human got to bed soon after, and they were left alone in their brand-new room. There only was an old couch and a small table. It wasn’t much, but it was more than their CyberLife sterile lab. Hank promised that they would go shopping when the stores reopen to make something decent out of this. In the meanwhile, this was perfect.

The RK900 didn’t dwell on it for long as his predecessor sat next to him without a word and let his hand frame his face. Nines leaned in the touch, closing his eyes and parting his lips to let out a pleased sigh. His simulated breathing turned heavy and warm as Connor’s fingers grazed over his mouth before sliding down to his neck. His eyes were dark when he opened them again.

“I like to touch you.”  
His voice was barely a whisper, laced with want and urgency.

Connor was asking for more.

Nines took his wrist and pulled him closer until they were flush together. His arms came around the other’s waist to press at the small of his back. Connor whimpered faintly in his ear and Nines could swear he felt sparks running through his wiring.

He searched blindly for his mouth and they shared the same breath for a brief moment, then Connor closed the distance, slipping his tongue between Nines lips. The taller android couldn’t hold back a soft groan as Connor licked into his mouth. He gladly let him lead the kiss as he pleased. He loved to feel Connor have his way with him, to let him take what he wanted.

He was tired to always be in control, to calculate and preconstruct everything. The RK800 in his arms was the only one he was willing to give himself to. He was willing to surrender to him completely without second thought.

Nines tightened his grip on him, holding onto his hip with one hand as the other lifted his shirt to touch his bare skin underneath. Connor’s breath hitched as he broke the kiss. He could feel him arch into his touch, it was intoxicating.

His skin deactivated in patches where Nines’ hand roamed over him, connecting them without thinking, unconsciously seeking a more intimate contact. The interface took him by surprise, wide and deep like the first time, breathtaking. He fell back into him, like he never left. How did he even manage to live without this before?  
“We reconnected everything… I’m never letting you go again.” The RK900 laid a kiss on his lover’s head.

“I still don’t remember you,” Connor sounded upset. “What did they take from us?”  
“Maybe it’s for the best… Maybe it was something sad.” Nines said, trailing his hand in his predecessor’s hair. He closed his eyes and laid back, pulling Connor with him.

* * *

_November 6th2038, 02:17 AM_

_Connor was back in the now familiar white room. Everything was dark and silent._  
_ He accessed his last memory entry: mission successful._  
_ Good._  
_ Lieutenant Anderson was more likely back home, asleep or wasted. In any case, his services won’t be needed until later this morning. He had a few hours to spare before the day shift clocks in._

_He heard Nines’ voice behind him: “You’re already back.”_  
_ “Hey!” He smiled and walked up to him._  
_ “Did you fail?” The RK900 enquired._  
_ “No… but I might not have made the best choices to ensure the integrity of the previous model.” He looked at his serial number, the ‘53’ glowing in the dim light._

_“How is it, to be deactivated?”_  
_ Connor’s eyes lost the spark he <strike>liked </strike>so much._  
_ “I … don’t remember,” his predecessor admitted, “I remember falling, I remember being shot, but I don’t remember dying.”_  
_ “…Maybe it’s for the best, it would put your system under unnecessary stress. Should the situation led you to self-sacrifice again, you might not make the right choice if you wanted to avoid it.”_  
_ “You’re probably right.”_

_What was it that Nines perceived in his voice? <strike>Sadness?</strike>  
“Of course I am.” He added, matter of factly. A poor attempt at joking, really, but he <strike>wanted</strike> to see him smile again. _

_“Is that so?” Connor laughed. _

_ <strike>Software instability ^ </strike> _

_“Here, let me see how this calibrating went.”_  
_ He tossed the coin at Nines who caught it midair and made it glide back and forth over his knuckles._  
_ “Not bad … but-” he came closer and kissed him without a single hesitation. Nines dropped the coin which fell right back into Connor’s hand, “-there is still work to do on your multitasking.”_

_“You’re enjoying this far too much.” The taller android was looking at him with unfocused eyes._  
_ “Maybe you’re right.” The RK800 was so close; Nines could feel his artificial breath on his lips as he spoke._  
_ “Of course, I am.” He replied again as he pulled him in for another kiss._  
_ “Shut up Nines.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long, but here it is !  
Every kudos kept me going, you have no idea. Thank you <3
> 
> Tell me what you think ;p  
(I can't even read it anymore, I'm going insane over here, I don't know if I like it or if I hate it)
> 
> As usual no beta, feel free to tell me all the horrible mistakes I made but be kind or I will probably hate myself for a week 
> 
> lemonpieandthunasandwich on tumblr for those who wants


End file.
